“The timeline of trees is very slow. You plant for two generations from now,” said Roanoke Urban Forestry Coordinator Bill West. “It just takes time to grow. And it takes care.”
“Many of these champion trees, they’re not out in the wilderness,” Wiseman said. “They’re in places that are right around the corner, and oftentimes these trees are located at places that have either cultural or historical significance.”
“Many of these champion trees, they’re not out in the wilderness,” Wiseman said. “They’re in places that are right around the corner, and oftentimes these trees are located at places that have either cultural or historical significance.”
Students squinting along a sunny stretch of sidewalk outside the Roanoke College library find a moment of cool refuge beneath the leafy shade of an old, but steady-growing champion.
At Virginia Tech, professor Eric Wiseman coordinates the Virginia Big Trees program, and maintains a list of state champions for more than 300 species. Trees receive a ranking based on height, crown spread and trunk girth.